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Today, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01), Governor Dannel Malloy, Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman, Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), DEEP Commissioner Rob Klee, Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, and Coltsville National Historical Park Superintendent James Woosley announced that Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the City of Hartford will be receiving a $750,000 grant from the National Park Service to make renovations and improvements to Colt Park.

“This is great news for the City of Hartford and the Sheldon/Charter Oak neighborhood. This grant will improve access to recreational opportunities for city residents and serve to enhance the community and neighboring Coltsville National Historical Park. The Coalition to Strengthen the Shelden/Charter Oak Neighborhood, Friends of Colt Park, Friends of Coltsville, the City of Hartford, and DEEP have worked tirelessly to support Colt Park over the years; this will build on their efforts. I am proud to have advocated for funding for Colt Park along with Senators Blumenthal and Murphy and continue to be a strong supporter in Congress of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which helps make conservation and recreation projects like this possible,” said Larson.

In June of 2016 Congressman Larson, Senator Blumenthal, and Senator Murphy wrote a letter in support of the City of Hartford and DEEP’s application to then National Parks Director, Jonathan Jarvis. This grant was awarded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) grant program that assists in building and enhancing parks and recreational facilities within urban communities. The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), established in 1964, is one of the nation’s most effective programs for improving conservation and recreation in places across America such as Colt Park. Congressman Larson has long been a champion of the LWCF. This year he joined his colleagues in signing a letter to the Appropriations Committee advocating for robust funding of the LWCF in Fiscal Year 2019 and he is a cosponsor of H.R. 502 to permanently reauthorize the LWCF.